


Searching for the Same

by ChasingCheddar



Category: Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dialogue Heavy, M/M, Mild Language, Sacredshipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2020-01-22 21:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18535615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChasingCheddar/pseuds/ChasingCheddar
Summary: Eusine - a student with perfect grades and high ambitions of studying the legendary Suicune - suddenly has his semester-long project plan foiled by a compulsory group-work component.But is the young, shaggy and somewhat attractive man he has been paired up with not quite what he seems?University!AU SacredshippingTags will be updated appropriately, potentially slow updates. Thanks to any readers! x





	1. Off to a Bad Start

"This will make up the final 70% of your total assignment grade for this semester. We suggest you find a Pokémon that you are interested in and start writing your analyses right away. Any questions?"

"The lecturer looked across the lecture theatre at the sea of bored, silent students sitting in disorganised, messy rows. Empty seconds passed as someone's Pidgey cooed, and one student thumped her head on the wooden desk, waking up abruptly from her mid-lecture nap. Finally, a Gengar on the back left staircase started flailing about, whinnying to get the attention of the lecturer with his hands in the air, as if he were asking a question.

The lecturer was confused, but eventually looked over to see the raised hand of a casual-looking young trainer in a daggy sweater, with a matching dark purple and black scarf. He had a hairband wrapped loosely around his blond tufts of hair, which flowed with the draught coming from the back door.

"Yes? You up the back with the Gengar?"

"Do we need to cite sources if we just _know_ something? Just by, say, intuition?"

The lecturer smiled. "Ah, another Ghost type student, are we?"

"Is it really that obvious? Does it show?" Morty, the student in question, gave a nervous laugh and sheepily scratched the back of his neck.

Just as the lecturer began to respond, a strong voice piped up from the front row. With a swish of chestnut hair, a purple-clad teen glared back at Morty with piercing blue eyes.

"What an absurd question, stop wasting everybody's time. Everyone has to cite all sources, especially at a university level. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Suicune to catch." People in the lecture theatre began to snicker and whisper jokes, but the overconfident boy still sat alert.

"Well someone's pissed," Morty retorted as his critique hastily launched out of his seat. "Sorry for asking."

"Well we're not quite done here," the lecturer smiled, stopping the boy from getting away. "I should mention that this assignment will be done in pairs. Two complementary essays, two Pokémon. They must have a linking theme, or else you get an automatic fail."

The entire class groaned in horror. Nobody liked group projects. Nobody.

"Your assigned partners are up on the university planner, and if I'm not mistaken Eusine, you and your new partner are certainly off to a bad start."

Eusine's eyes widened in embarrassment, and he raised his hand to hold the bridge of his nose with annoyed sigh.  
 _Surely not..._

Morty, on the other hand, looked amused. He was going to have fun breaking this one.

"I suggest you two start over if you wish to keep that 99% average of yours, Eusine."

Morty snickered.

"And as for you - it is Morty, isn't it? - Please read the course manual again and stop wasting everyone's time."

Eusine smirked.

"Class dismissed."

\------------------------------

Eusine waited outside the lecture hall with a grimace. He couldn't believe this. How would he ever catch Suicune if he was tied down to some boring sloppy git? He sighed and kept searching the sea of students until every last person and pokemon had trailed out. Of course, Morty was last.

"What kept you back so long?!" Eusine growled.

"Chill. I was having a conversation with the lecturer."

"What? Am I not a good enough partner for you?!" Eusine did a double take at the strange words that had stumbled out of his mouth. Morty just raised his eyebrows in response.

"No... I was asking about a complex training strategy, actually. None of your business. I'm sure it'd be _way_ beyond you," Morty leaned into chide Eusine with a grin, who scoffed in an attempt to hide a high pitched whine. "Anyway, I can already tell this is going to be painful for the both of us."

Eusine struggled to come up with a retort, and Morty continued without hesitation. "So, I suggest we settle this over coffee. I have an apartment on floor two of the 'Bell' student residence, you know the one with the tower. Think you can manage to find that?"

Eusine nodded and turned his head to the side, convinced that his cheeks had turned into radiators. Perhaps he'd caught the flu, or had hayfever... or some other illness. He forced a squeaky cough, and Morty stepped back, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Uh... First room on the left, you can't miss it. Drop by whenever you're feeling less like an on-edge Magmar."

Eusine blinked.  
"Fine... Sure."

Morty looked him up and down, raised his eyebrow, then looked to the floor in defeat. "Come on, Gengar, let's go."

And with that, the scarf-clad boy turned and walked away, leaving behind a frowning, agitated Eusine.

\------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( Merged 1&2 into one chapter 21/DEC/2019, new chapter 2's up soon )


	2. Here's the Tea.

_Pathetic._

Eusine knocked on the scratched wooden door of room 101 on level two of the towering ‘Bell’ res-hall. It had been a couple of days since he had first encountered his assignment partner-to-be; needless to say he was not looking forward to any of what was about to happen. 

He waited slightly impatiently until the door was opened by the same sloppy boy in trackpants and a black bandana, who confusedly looked him up and down.

_Typical._

"...You look ridiculous."

"Well you look like a hobo.”

Morty smiled. “Come in. Watch your step."

The apartment was no bigger than two small conjoined rooms, the entrance feeding into a living-room of sorts with a warmly-lit small kitchenette. The next area could be seen through a wide archway, containing a study-desk, a bed, and a few dozen posters of ghost type Pokémon.

Eusine looked down at the littered floor, where seemingly endless empty noodle packets flooded the room. After entering, he was even more shocked that the river of plastic litter began flowing from the kitchen sink behind the doorway. Seeing the horror on Eusine’s eyes gave Morty a sense of jovial amusement.

"Welcome to the humble abode of yours truly. Please, take a seat." Morty did a dramatic bow and gestured to a dark green sofa, next to which stood a glass coffee table strewn with textbooks and loose papers.

Eusine's eyes widened when he recognised the cover of one of the books. _Legendaries_ , it was titled. Oh, how he _knew_ that book. His heart skipped a beat. But was it doing in this wreck's apartment?

_He must have no clue what he's doing._

"I'm fine. I don't want a seat." Eusine huffed as he folded his arms and stuck up his nose.

"No really, I must insist," Morty grinned suspiciously. All of a sudden, a Haunter howled loudly at the back of Eusine's neck, towering over him. Eusine jumped with a girlish squeal. Startled, he tripped over his own feet, tumbling onto the sofa.

"Fuck! What the fuck?!"

"Ooh, a bit of a swearer, are we?" Morty teased. "Didn't expect that from an image-obsessed try-hard like you."

Eusine grumbled. "Hey! That was uncalled for! You should train your Pokémon better."

".. Hm, I might take that suggestion on board. Needs to be more... ghoulish..." Morty winked at Haunter, who chuckled with glee, and then promptly drifted over to the kitchen sink, tossing a few more soggy plastic packets out of the way onto the floor.

"Can I get you a tea? Coffee? Some expired milk?"

"Tea, please."

"Knew it. Even with profanities, such an elegant type." 

"You're the one who offered. Plus, you've just put out two cups," Eusine observed. "Assuming you own teabags anyway, barring all other compelling evidence of sloppiness, incompetence and general disarray, you _could_ be just as elegant as any other tea drinker."

"Come on, you're bullshitting me," Morty chuckled as he poured water from the kettle into one of the teacups. "That's a long shot, and you know it." 

"The elegance part or the observable incompetence part? Because you just poured cold water into the tea."

Morty paused and stared into the wall in front of him, whilst Eusine gave a small chuckle.  
...

"I guess I'll just have coffee then."

Morty flicked the kettle switch to start boiling the water, and once the tea was prepared to the music of fumbling clattering spoons and rustles of trash, he walked back over to clear the coffee table. Eusine folded his legs as Morty kicked off his shoes and pulled up a white, curved modern-style chair. He hopped into it, placed the beverages down and crossed his legs, observing Eusine with an amused smirk like a chess player who had just found a cunning move.

“Here’s the tea, sis.”

Eusine rolled his eyes. "You seem very childish."

"I turn 21 this summer."

"Hm. You're just a bit older than me then. Tsk tsk, I'd expect better..."

"Hell, you're such a buzzkill for a kid. _So_ judgemental!"

"Then again, one can't really expect _too_ much from someone with such stinky socks."

"These socks smell great. Careful, or I might just use them to strain your tea." Morty used this chance to wave said feet in the air towards a disgruntled Eusine, who receded further into a couch crease filled with crisp crums in disgust.

"As I said, real classy Morty."

"Thank you, now I know that lavender fabric softener was a real good investment."

"Lavender? Pft."

"Hey! You're the one dressed in pompous purple, lavender boy-"

The room fell silent. Eusine stared, jaw agape in disbelief, whilst Morty gasped in shock in realisation at what he'd just said.

_Shit. Time to go into damage control..._

"... Not that, I think that you're, uh, I mean- unless you are, though? Like, I mean that's totally fine, I didn't mean that as an insult or anything I'm sorry and-"

_Real smooth, dipshit._

"... No, uh, it's fine. It's... no big deal," Eusine said looking like a shot puppy, eyes looking anywhere but at Morty. "I get it all the time, just, it's fine."

"What? All the time?" 

"... None of your business who pushes me around." 

"W- pushes you around?! What? who would-"

"Look, it doesn't matter. Please, let it go."

"No! I can't let that go, you don’t just say that and expect someone to let it go. I mean you don't exactly make life easy for yourself dressing like that-"

"Fuck you."

"Hey! That's case and point though, you shouldn't be letting anyone push you around for your personal choices Eusine,” Morty drawled. “Love is love and hate ain’t cool.“

Eusine gasped, and Morty thought for a second he might have taken it too far. Eusine bolted upright on the couch, eyes searching the floor.  "Look, I am not.... that is just... no. I am not, it is… That is simply... eughhh, stop assuming things. You don’t understand. Plus, it must be _so_ easy for you, you… you… blonde haired heterosexual!”

“S’cuse me? Now who's assuming things!" Morty swiftly sat up on the edge of the chair, swinging his legs down. Eusine bumped back a bit, startled. Silence filled the air once again. Eusine wasn’t sure whether the heat upon his face was from absorbing Morty’s sudden fiery spark, or from his own cheeks turning into electrical heaters again. He really needed to get that fixed.

Morty, meanwhile, started to realise that he’d gone over the line.  
 _Yep. Too far. Way to go, Mortimer. Now I’ve scared him._

“… I’m really sorry, Eusine.”

Eusine didn’t respond and merely took a sip of his tea, the tea-cup clattering in his shaky gloved hands. He gave a frown, then a wince, and finally placed it carefully back into the centre of the coffee table. 

“… Well, this blend of tea is very… unique? To say the least?” Eusine clicked his fingers in the air. “What is that? Is that a hint of…” He gasped mock-scandalously. “Is that _lavender_ I taste in the tea?”

“….”

Eusine met Morty’s eyes, stifling a smirk albeit unsuccessfully. Morty, after a brief moment of confusion, remembered what tea he’d just prepared - and gave an ungodly snort out laughter. They both sat there snickering and guffawing upon realisation.

Morty wiped tears of laughter from his eyes with a giggle. “Aah, yeah haha. I forgot I’d made this shit.”

“You have definitely got the ratio all wrong.”

“What! There’s only so much written on PokéWikihow - plus herbal tea is good for you, apparently.”

“Yes, but not when you pick random flowers from across campus. That’s not tea, that’s a butcher’s bouquet.”

“Butcher’s bou- Hey! It was Haunter and Gengar’s choices anyway, gotta keep ‘em busy somehow. _And_ I oven baked the shit out of it, I thought it’d improve the flavour-“

“Morty, nothing hides the flavour of red apricorns, overpowering rosemary or that soapy cilantro.”

“C’mon, surely there’s not that much in there,” Morty said as he left his seat to retrieve the zip-lock bag of charred flowers and berries. He gave a sniff, a grimace, and a cough, then zipped the bag again. Haunter gave a howl of laughter. 

“Alright, shut it,” he said, tossing the bag towards the chittering Pokémon. Eusine gave a smile. 

“So Morty, about this project-“

“Did you say you were going to catch a Suicune?” Morty said with more significantly more clarity than his usual bored mumble, sitting upright with a frown. Eusine tilted his head.

 _Curious._  
“…Yes.”

“For this assignment?”

“Yes.”

“As in, _the_ Suicune? Of the North Wind?”

“Well, yes.”

“...But you know Suicune is a legendary Pokémon, right?”

“Well I've already written my entire analysis essay already. All I need to do left is to catch it.”

Morty raised his eyebrow in surprise, and resumed the laidback stance he was known for once more, folding his hands behind his head as he stretched into the chair.

“So have I. I’ve already written mine too, just need to catch the Pokémon in question.”

Eusine was surprised. “Hmph, I was expecting you to have not even started yet.”

Morty flashed a toothy grin. “Why is that?”

“You just seem like the kind of person who wouldn't commit to anything. As I said,” he gestured to Morty's attire. “Hobo tea-maker.”

Morty snickered. “Just because I don't look flamboyant doesn't mean I don't work really hard, Mr. 99% average.”

Eusine winced. 

“What?”

“Don't remind me.”

“Of what?”

“Of my average.”

“…You’re kidding.”  
Morty was shocked. “…You're not serious, are you?”

Eusine said nothing.

“Surely you're not pissed off with a grade like that.”

“Mistakes were made. Silly errors. Tiny marks that I should have gotten easily. It'll never happen again, I’ve sworn it upon my life. This is it for me.”

“Okayy, you really need to chill out,” Morty huffed as he got up from his seat, walked over behind the couch to his Haunter and Gengar who were tossing around the zip-lock bag of ‘tea’. He took back the tea, stared at Eusine, then tossed it towards him. Eusine frantically fumbled but still managed to catch the bag. 

“You’ll need this.”

“Will I? What Pokémon are _you_ trying to catch then? A Rattata as disheveled as yourself, no doubt?”

“No, actually,” Morty said as he stepped closer once again to lean on his former chair. He locked eyes with Eusine and held the stare with a magnetic intensity to rival any Magnemite’s pull.

“I’m gonna catch Ho-Oh.”

Eusine gasped, and dropped the bag of tea on his lap. 

\------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, what, this is back now??? Who am I, the worst person on the planet? Yes. Enjoy this trash, none of it makes sense anyway. Will I write more? Or will this disappear again? Only time will tell. Tune in next decade, same Golbat account, same Golbat website. Cheers folks, and happy holidays.


End file.
